Belsay Lad Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 On a recent holiday in France we discovered a probably little known railway museum on the outskirts of Paris. Well worth a visit! Website is www.trains-fr.org/mtvs/ It goes by the mouthful of 'Musee des Tramways a Vapeur et des chemis de fer Secondaires francais' (MTVS) and is based in Butry-sur-Oise. It covers the metre gauge light railways in North France, has a very interesting static collection of locos and rolling stock covering the period 1883 to 1948. It is open from April to November 1st every Saturday (except in July & August), Sundays and French public holidays from 14.30 to 18.00. Vintage steam trains are running on a short length of line on the first and third Sundays (and public holidays) of each month on the hour between 15.00 & 17.00. You can travel to it by train, take an SNCF service from Paris, Gare du Nord in the direction of Valmondois-Persan Beaumont and get off at Valmondois. The museum is just at the exit to the station. Apart from anything else when the staff, all volunteers, discovered we were from the UK (especially Scotland)! we were treated like Royalty! They allocated a guide, and the engine driver, who could speak English to give us what amounted to a personal guided tour. If you speak English, like railways and Rugby you can chat for hours... I do have a short video and some photos but am not sure about uploading them in-case I breach filesize rules for the site;- if anyone would like ot see them any help would be appreciated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 An excellent discovery (even the English version of the website is good) - thank you for drawing attention to it! As the website doesn't give details of the steam locomotives, I'll try filling in the blanks... 0-4-0T Picketty 2 CL 341/1881 (website gives CL 710/1888) 0-4-0T Paul Frot 26 CL 1673/1927 0-4-0VB Geugnon 5 Cock 2691/1908 0-4-0RT Mont Blanc 3 SLM 1990/1910 0-6-0Tm Sarte 16 BM 19/1887 0-6-0Tm Sarte 60 BM 213/1898 0-6-0T Vilaine 75 CL 1234/1909 0-6-0T Côtes du Nord/Côtes d'Armor 36 CL 16779/1925 2-6-0T Berck Plage 13 SACM 7381/1924 2-6-0T CP (Vouga) OK 5755/1913 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacific231G Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 An excellent discovery (even the English version of the website is good) - thank you for drawing attention to it! As the website doesn't give details of the steam locomotives, I'll try filling in the blanks... 0-4-0T Picketty 2 CL 341/1881 (website gives CL 710/1888) 0-4-0T Paul Frot 26 CL 1673/1927 0-4-0VB Geugnon 5 Cock 2691/1908 0-4-0RT Mont Blanc 3 SLM 1990/1910 0-6-0Tm Sarte 16 BM 19/1887 0-6-0Tm Sarte 60 BM 213/1898 0-6-0T Vilaine 75 CL 1234/1909 0-6-0T Côtes du Nord/Côtes d'Armor 36 CL 16779/1925 2-6-0T Berck Plage 13 SACM 7381/1924 2-6-0T CP (Vouga) OK 5755/1913 Their website is much improved so thanks for reminding me of it. Tiny correction- it's Sarthe not Sarte. The museum also has two coaches from the Tramways de la Sarthe which was a 416km long network of metre gauge roadside steam tramways centred on Le Mans. Its last lines finally closed in March 1947. The MTVS is not as well known as it should be and is well worth a visit. They end their season with a gala weekend in the first weekend in October. Unfortunately their plans to reopen a significant length of the Valmondois-Marines line, the metre gauge line whose terminus they occupy, have been thwarted by local opposition. They had managed to reopen about a kilometre of the line and had built a run round at the outer end but a landslip has reduced that to about 500 metres with no imminent prospect of restoring it. Nevertheless the chance to see such a range of Secondaire rolling stock in one place is well worth taking. One useful feature from a modelling point of view is that, though I think it's now changed, the terminus layout was an example of the "Piano Line" principle where the main line entered at the middle of the run round loop. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobby Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 We went there a few years ago, I'd second that it's well worth a visit, though check the opening times before you go... This lot are also worth a visit if you like small narrow gauge, just south of Paris: http://www.tacot-des-lacs.com/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belsay Lad Posted October 21, 2012 Author Share Posted October 21, 2012 Thanks 'Hobby' Didn't get a chance to visit your recommendation this time but it is on the list for the next visit. MTVS is still active at their site as above. We passed by Valmondois on SNCF in mid September heading North and they were advertising the annual steam festival in October. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacific231G Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 The museum's own website is now http://www.musee-mtvs.com/ The museum is completely closed out of season and only opens on Sundays and jours fériés from May to the first weekend in October but even though it only has a short demonstration line nowadays is well worth visiting and good value at five euros (though check on which days trains are running) It's also very easy to get to as it's next to Valmondois SNCF on a suburban line from Paris. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted October 22, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 22, 2012 Often used to bump into the MTVS crowd at Expometrique exhibition each year. Very friendly and knowledgable. Quite a few good English speakers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herr Dienstleiter Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 we were treated like Royalty! Oh dear. Did the guillotine hurt? Or do the French treat their royalty differently now? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belsay Lad Posted October 27, 2012 Author Share Posted October 27, 2012 Oh dear. Did the guillotine hurt? Or do the French treat their royalty differently now? Fortunately we escaped with our heads! Also we were told last year that due to problems with the 'neighbours' the museum might have to close down... However we passed by the site in September this year and the museum was still active. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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